The Buena Park High football team gathered for its first practice last week. The official end of the spring sports season, which does not include the playoffs, happened last week, allowing the team to gather for practices, though its head coach remains committed to the track program.
All of the Coyotes football players seemed eager and excited to get back on the gridiron. After all, all of them have high hopes and expectations in regards to next year.
The Buena Park High football team gathered for its first practice last week. The official end of the spring sports season, which does not include the playoffs, happened last week, allowing the team to gather for practices, though its head coach remains committed to the track program.
All of the Coyotes football players seemed eager and excited to get back on the gridiron. After all, all of them have high hopes and expectations in regards to next year.
For starters, the 2013-2014 season will mark the fourth year since head coach Anthony White took over the program. His first freshman class will finally embark on its senior campaign.
“This is our year,” said assistant coach Adam Cox, who attended Cerritos College and runs the offensive line. “We are all expecting big things.”
The team will be led by quarterback Bobby Rodriguez, who remains committed to track but can’t wait for the upcoming football season.
“It’s really exciting,” Rodriguez said. ‘Everyone is working so hard, and we all really can’t wait for next year.”
Rodriguez, a transfer from Western, played as a backup last year but will be surrounded by veterans in every position of the spread offense. This includes senior running back Deven Boston, who as a junior ran for 1,928 yards and 23 touchdowns, as well as offensive linemen Braxton Word, Jesse Gomez, and Tofa Tupou.
Rodriguez will have plenty of seasoned passing targets, too. The team will return wide receiver Jaylinn Hawkins, running back/receiver Del Von Wingfield, Richie Cabral and tight end Evi Moa. Last year, Hawkins led the team with 18 receptions, catching a pair of touchdowns with 190 receiving yards. Wingfield saw minimal looks but had three catches for 25 yards and Moa delivered most of his statistics on defense.
However, the team’s offense averaged only 35 yards in the air and 285 on the ground. It’s more than likely that it will once again be a running team – and with plenty of experienced legs.
In addition to Boston, the Coyotes will once again showcase rushers Max Rivera, Wakeim Mahan, Carllyn Dozier, Matthew Sifuentes, and De’Quan Brown. Last year, Mahan had the second most carries with 35 for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Rivera and Sifuentes also scored a touchdown each while Dozier averaged 22 yards per carry.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun during spring ball,” Cox said.
Though the spring leagues, and passing leagues, primarily develop offensive units, Buena Park returns some impressive defensive players. Cabral, a linebacker, led the team with 101 tackles while Moa, a defensive end, recovered three fumbles and Tupuo led the team with three sacks.
“Our success has really been all about these players that we got,” Cox said.
Many credit White, though, who couldn’t be at the practices due to his obligation to the track team. Though he has not yet won a league crown, or defeated powerhouse La Habra, he changed the attitude and perception of the program, which has made the playoffs twice in the last three years – a feat most deemed impossible prior to White’s arrival.
After all, the Coyotes football program was once the joke of the Freeway League, struggling to win student support – with empty stands during home games – in addition to wins on the field. From 2004 to 2009, the program only won seven games and didn’t win a single contest during the 2007-2008 and 2004-2005seasons. In fact, Buena Park’s most successful season during that run was a 4-6 overall record in 2005. Additionally, the team didn’t win a single Freeway League game during that draught.
White, who replaced Rob Ryan, immediately changed the mentality of the program when he took over, and he did it by winning. During his first season the Coyotes opened with a six-game winning streak, and though they only managed to record a 1-4 mark in league play, the school qualified for the postseason for the first time in over a decade with a 6-5 overall record.
The 2011 season turned out to be White’s most successful as the team finished with an 8-3 record and again made the postseason. The Coyotes also went 4-1 in league to finish second place behind unbeaten La Habra, the powerhouse team that has not lost a league matchup in seven season.
Last year, Buena Park finished with a 6-4 overall record and 2-3 mark in league to take fourth place. The program missed the playoffs, but it gained some valuable experience while proving the previous two seasons were not fluke.
Buena Park will officially begin spring season on Saturday, May 10.
